By Beth Zarret
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Beth Zarret
Tickles&Toes, 48 Coryell Street, Lambertville, NJ 08530
Ticklesandtoes.com
609-397-0169 or 347-406-3064
ConKerr Cancer Sew-In Volunteers Generate 49 Pillowcases
Lambertville, NJ – February 1, 2009 – The ten sewing machines packed into Tickles&Toes children’s boutique ran continuously for two hours on Sunday, January 31st. By the end of the sew-in, 49 pillowcases were piled high up on a table, and the twenty participants were pleased with their morning’s work. On the table next to the pillowcases was more than one hundred dollars that had been raised through a cake raffle.
The pillowcases were sewn for ConKerr Cancer, an organization whose mission is to brighten the lives of sick children in hospitals through homemade pillowcases. Sew-ins are held throughout the country, and help foster the spirit of community and volunteer service. The pillowcases are then distributed nationwide as well as to Canada and Africa.
The participants in Saturday’s sew-in started at age 2. Although 2 year old Jeb Bannon wasn’t sewing yet, he sat on his mother and father’s lap as they took turns sewing. Jeb’s dad, Jason Bannon, learned to sew when he was a child, and thought it would be “cool if we all did the sew-in together.” Another young volunteer, 15 year old Heather Hills, has been sewing for seven years and was excited to help out for such a good cause.
For some volunteers, the mission of the sew-in had more personally touched their lives. Molly Sahner lost a sister in childhood to cancer, and knew that her sister would have liked the project. Audrey Fiscor and her 5 year old daughter, Ellie, were there because Ellie had a tough five days at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia last summer. Ellie still has a stuffed animal that was given to her in the hospital, and Ms. Fiscor thought that being able to do something like the sew-in was a special way to show kids that other people are thinking of them.
While some volunteers were experienced sewers, others were sewing for the first time. Participant Sherry Carmenini remarked that learning to sew was a little scary at first, but it was not hard to use the machine. There were plenty of volunteers on hand to assist less experienced sewers. Founder of ConKerr Cancer, Cindy Kerr, was there, along with 6 members of the Frenchtown-based Courthouse Quilters.
Although the store was buzzing with the sounds of the sewing machines and volunteers chatting, the morning took a more serious turn when Cindy Kerr spoke to the group about the mission of ConKerr Cancer. Ms. Kerr lost her own son to cancer, and has been organizing the sew-ins since she first made her son a pillowcase during one of his hospital stays. When Ms. Kerr finished speaking, the volunteers wiped a tear from their eyes, and then returned to the business of giving kids “a case for the smiles” with the creation of the colorful pillowcases.
Tickles&Toes Children’s Boutique was pleased to host the sew-in. According to Events Organizer, Beth Zarret, the sew-In fit Tickles&Toes’ business philosophy: children first, charity involvement, a community connection and a strong desire to meet the needs of clients. “We were thrilled to count four children between the ages of 2 and 15 at the sew-in. These kids were actively involved in helping other kids. The sew-in brought together members of our community with the purpose of participating in a charitable event to benefit others in our community and beyond. We couldn’t have been happier when we saw the piles of pillowcases building up and the jar of donations filling up. This was the first of many charitable events we are planning to hold in order to give back to the community.”
Anyone interested in hosting a sew-in or contributing to ConKerr Cancer can reach Ms. Kerr through ConKerrCancer.org.
